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Don't miss out on this beautiful commemorative art book, telling the story of MRU's first 100 years, using our mural mosaic images. Available at the Mount Royal BookStore until supplies last.
Leave your lasting legacy
Donate to the centennial mural project and receive your own piece of history.
A groundbreaking event
On June 24, 1970 — after four long years of debate over several potential sites around Calgary — officials finally gathered for an old-fashioned prairie sod-turning at Mount Royal’s Lincoln Park Campus.
Alberta’s then-minister of education, Robert Clark, together with the Chair of Mount Royal’s Board of Governors, Dr. Howard P. Wright, broke ground on the former military runway using a ceremonial shovel decorated in ribbons.
Approximately 150 guests attended the ceremony, including a 48-member platform party featuring government and community dignitaries.
Lieutenant Governor Grant MacEwan, who was the main speaker, said, “During all the controversy over the site for Mount Royal, I didn’t say anything, but today, I can say this is where Mount Royal belongs.”
Members of the platform party were given small sterling-silver shovels engraved with the date to commemorate the event.
Campus expansion
Although the Lincoln Park Campus officially opened on Nov. 17, 1972, the completion of the main building was definitely not the end of the story.
In 1989, a $73-million facility expansion was completed and the East Residences, originally built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, opened to students.
In 2002, Mount Royal completed the new East A building, as well as a state-of-the-art recreation facility. One year later, the new East B building and West Residences opened.
Mount Royal broke new ground in 2006 with the Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning — the first building on campus to receive gold certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Construction is currently underway on several projects including: expansion of the Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning, a new science and arts wing and a parkade.
This page regularly showcases the collections of the Mount Royal University Archives. Thanks to the Director of the Archives, Patricia Roome, PhD, and her staff for their assistance in selecting artifacts and conducting research.